The Story of Yomi
by missIF
Summary: Each spirit must find their place in the world, no matter what. But as the ice spirit Kuchiki Rukia will soon learn, not every spirit is exactly what they seem when she encounters the Ryoka and their allies. Together they will reveal the true evil of the spirit world, and fight to protect all they hold sacred.
1. Chapter 1

**So another new story! Very excited for this one I've been having a lot of fun writing it in my spare time. In this fic the characters all have similar physical traits to their zanpaku-to spirits like from the anime, and in this au they technically are their own zanpaku-to spirit and can use their power the same way the spirits could in the show.**

 **Please enjoy the first chapter!**

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The spirits were restless tonight.

Rukia could feel it in the air from her perch atop the palace roof. She watched as spirits flew through the night sky in random formations, the forest before her alive with activity.

There would be a calling tonight, for the Court Guard. A gathering of the highest ranked spirits in Japan brought before the High Commander to discuss the recent oddities and behaviours of the lesser spirits. Rukia would attend of course, she was a noble spirit after all, along with her brother. Snow blew by her and disappeared into the wind. The cold had never bothered Rukia, and why would it? She was a snow spirit, not a master spirit like the Hyorinmaru, but a powerful class of her own.

A sudden appearance behind Rukia caught her attention.

"The meeting will start in half an hour," he said.

Rukia turned to face her friend, the spirit Renji. Red fur lined his shoulders, bone looping around his waist and torso as a skeleton snake slithered over his body, the head resting on his arm and watching Rukia with it's glowing red eyes. Zabimaru was his spirit name, a snake baboon spirit, and rightly dubbed the king of monkey by the other spirits. Renji served as Byakuya's, Rukia's brother, second in command, a seat that gave him more power than even Rukia could hold.

Renji stood next to her, "What do you think it is?"

"I have no idea. I can't sense any evil spirits, but there may be some hiding or something only the more primitive spirits can sense. Have you tried asking?"

Renji shook his head, "None of them will talk. All I can tell is that they're afraid of something out there."

"A spirit?"

"Most likely. Probably a dark one too if this many wild spirits are leaving the forest. The Court will most likely vote to investigate it."

"And if it is a dark spirit?"

Renji looked at her, knowing she knew the answer already. Dark spirits were a plight on the world, deadly and as toxic as a disease. Normally they stayed within their own borders, the opposite world from the one spirits like Rukia resided in, and kept to themselves. Occasionally one would cross the border to hunt for human souls, but each time they would be beat back by a Court spirit. If it was a dark spirit, then one of the court would be sent to deal with it.

"Come on," Renji said. "We need to meet with the captain."

Rukia nodded and the two dropped down to the ground. They walked to the front of the palace where Byakuya waited for them. Rukia's brother was a powerful spirit, one of the strongest in the court, proud and noble. He was the Head of their clan, and ancient order of noble spirits with superior powers than those of not noble lineage. Byakuya was said to be the strongest Head ever, his spirit title Senbonzakura was well known for it's power among the Court, far more than Rukia and Renji could hope to achieve. Spirits like Byakuya were known as 'captain-class' entities, spirits stronger and more powerful than others and given a seat in the Court Guard as well as command over a small variety of other spirits. Byakuya commanded the Sixth Guard Company, Renji acting as his lieutenant and second commanding officer to the company.

In many ways Rukia envied her friend and her brother. Both held commanding titles, something she strived for, in the Court and for years she had worked make her brother proud. However she had not gained a title, working in the Thirteenth Company only as an unseated officer. Her captain was Ukitake Jushiro, the ancient spirit of Sōgyo no Kotowari, was a fair man whose health had unfortunately began to deteriorate some centuries ago. Despite her lack of office however, Rukia had made a name for herself in the company, some even saying she had the full right to the lieutenant's position since Ukitake had yet to fulfill the seat.

Byakuya, his samurai armour polished and his hair held back in a loosely tied red ribbon, remained stoic at their arrival.

"Rukia," he said. "You are to meet Jushiro at the Thirteenth barracks before the council."

She bowed, "Yes brother."

"Renji."

"Yes sir."

Her friend nodded a goodbye to her before vanishing with his captain, leaving Rukia alone to travel to her own captain's side. It did not take long, a quick trip as a cold wind and she was at the barracks center in front of her captain's chambers. She knocked before entering the cool room, avoiding the floating pools of koi. Her captain rested at the back of the room on top his pond, the pisces spirit holding his scroll on his lap and his head drooped in sleep. Rukia sighed, not liking how she had to wake her poor captain, and sent a cold blast of air towards the man. The top of the pool froze over and Jushiro woke with a start, falling from his levitated state to the frozen surface with a thud.

"Oh! Rukia!" he looked at her in surprise, "I'm sorry I didn't notice you come in."

"Forgive me Captain," she apologised and helped the old man stand on his feet.

"No need to apologise, I'm fine. Uh, actually if you would…"

Rukia waved her hand and the ice faded, the pool beneath her captain once again rippling under his feet.

"Ah, that is better. Now," he smiled brightly, "What is going on today?"

"There has been a Court meeting called to discuss the troubled forest spirits. The meeting will begin in less than twenty minutes."

"Those forest spirits, eh? Yes I've noticed how unsettled they've been lately. Poor things. Very well Rukia, will you join me in the walk to First company?"

"Of course Captain."

The old spirit grinned and walked out of the room, Rukia close in tow. She was careful not to touch the orbs of water or her captain's coat, her ice power still just out of her control. She was a young spirit, only a few decades awakened, and was still having slight issues completely controlling her abilities. When she touched something, either liquid or thin material, it would freeze over. It was worse when she was nervous or unfocused, and even the training she received from the Hyorinmaru did not change it. The stronger ice spirit had promise that she would get the hang of it eventually as long as she continued to practice.

Her captain and two third seats, twin spirits, walked along to the First Company barrack center, the captains meeting room doors open. Many more spirits passed by to enter the hall, captains and lieutenants respectfully, all powerful and respectable in their own right. The Court meetings happened rarely, even rarer for everyone to show their faces, which made Rukia wonder just how serious the High Commander was taking the situation.

She couldn't go into the meeting herself, not being a Court officer, and so she would have to wait outside the meeting hall with Kiyone and Sentaro. She wished her captain well as he entered the hall, then stayed herself out of the way and nearer to the wall outside the room.

"Rukia!" a voice called.

She turned her head and saw a familiar face. A young spirit like herself, the lieutenant of Fifth Company Hinamori smiled as she walked towards Rukia, the bells of her dress jingling merrily. Opposite of Rukia, Momo was a fire type plum spirit Tobiume, and an old friend of Renji from his training years.

"Lieutenant Hinamori," Rukia greeted the girl with a bow.

"It's nice to see you again, it's been so long."

"It has. How have you been?"

"Very well, actually. The orchid is especially well off this year, and it's been so long since we've been called to a meeting. I almost didn't believe it when the call came."

"It is unusual, yes."

"Oh but you must not be surprised. After all you live right before the forest, so you must see those spirits constantly."

"Yes, that's how we figured something must be wrong. Normally the forest spirits are much more docile than they are now. We don't know what the problem is, but hopefully this meeting will provide us with a solution."

A deep voice said, "That would be ideal."

Momo's face lite up, "Captain!" The two female spirits bowed in greeting at the man's arrival. The captain of Fifth Company Aizen Sosuke was a well revered spirit, as well as a mysterious one. His ability Kyōka Suigetsu was said to be a reflective water spirit, one that was able to use fog to change his enemies perspective and trick them into attacking something else. A eerie power in its own right, yes, but the spirit himself was far too passive to fully use the extent of its power.

Aizen himself was a well known spirit, whether it was due to his kindly nature or handsome looks Rukia couldn't tell. Momo, like many others, was infatuated with the man and looked up to him a great deal. Aizen's own kindness rivaled that of Rukia's own captain, although the Fifth Company man held a sort of sadness in him. It was said that before Aizen was given the captaincy, his own commander had died mysteriously in an ambush by dark spirits.

"Miss Rukia," he smiled, "It is a pleasure to see you outside of the barracks. Has your captain finally chosen a new lieutenant?"

Rukia tried to hide her shame, "No sir, I am only here as an escort for my captain."

Aizen looked surprised, "Oh? Well that's a shame, I think you'd be a wonderful lieutenant. Your brother would be proud too."

His words were kind, but Rukia felt only weight on her chest. The ground beneath her feet began to frost over. She could deny it, say that what Captain Aizen was saying was wrong and she could never deserve a lieutenancy, but to outright deny a superior spirits praise was outlandish and extremely rude.

So she thanked him, "Yes, thank you sir."

The captain smiled and said to Momo, "Come, it's time for the meeting."

"Yes sir! See you later Rukia."

The two spirits left Rukia, following the growing crowd into the hall, and once again she was alone with her thoughts. Kiyone and Sentaro had gone off on one of their famous arguments, Rukia wisely staying out of their way, and worked on retaining her power until the flooring under her was clear of all ice.

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 **I hope you enjoyed, there will be much more to follow.**

 **Please leave a review and thank you for reading.**

 **Bye bye~**


	2. Chapter 2

**New chapter yay! This one is much longer and introduces more characters and plot, although I feel like the end of this chapter is a bit rushed. Oh well.**

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Renji was never comfortable in meetings. He had been to very few since his promotion, and so he had relied heavily on his more experienced fellows for aid. Momo and Izaru had been lieutenants for years before Renji and had tried their very best in instructing and mentoring their friend on the proper way to act as a lieutenant in the Court Guard. He had quickly gotten the hang of it all, and in the short span of a few decades had earned a name for himself as a spirit. Ironically the very company he handled was commanded by his oldest friends brother, Kuchiki Byakuya Head of the ancient Kuchiki clan. Not only was he now affiliated with one of the most powerful spirit families in Soul Society, but he served directly under the strongest Head, which should put him in a very valuable position.

However the moment he stepped into the First Company hall, all that power fell apart in way of the real strength of the Court. Thirteen of the strongest spirits in all the realm gathered under one roof at the command of the strongest spirit in a thousand years. Renji's own power paled in comparison when compared to any of the captain spirits, their power legendary in the eyes of regular spirits and admired throughout the land. The Court was often called the guardians of the Soul Realm, protectors of spirits and slayers of evil.

Quite the expectations to live up to.

The High Commander banged his cane on the wooden floor, wisps of flames flying from the tip, to signal the start of the meeting. The ancient spirit looked as old as he was, a long beard and wrinkled face scarred from millennia of battles, his old robes and coat draped over his hunched shoulders, and even from his spot against the wall, Renji could feel the heat of the Commander's power. For over two thousand years Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni had headed the Court Guard and kept an ever watchful eye on the spirit realm, swearing to guard it from the dark spirits of Hueco Mundo and their ilk. No other entity in existence could match his _Ryūjin Jakka_ , the ultimate flame, in power and its destructive capability.

"Kuchiki Byakuya," the grand spirit spoke, "Give your assessment of these troubled forest spirits."

Renji's commander stepped forward, "Despite our efforts to gather any information from the rural spirits, they appear too unstable to verify a complete answer. Over the past week the forest has been restless and agitated, leading me to believe that there must be another force at work deeper within the forest's boundaries."

"Were you able to sense any dangerous entities within the woods?"

"No sir, the only oddity I was able to sense was a strong spirit nearer to the center of the forest."

Another captain interrupted, "So what? There are plenty of strong vermin in that forest."

Renji, as well as the other lieutenants and captains, looked at the Twelfth Company commander. Kurotsuchi Mayuri, the poisonous spirit _Ashisogi Jizō_ , looked indefinitely unimpressed by Byakuya's report.

Renji's commander in return, looked at the other spirit in equal distain, "If you think I did not take into account the various possible spirits the cause might be, then you should hold your tongue."

Kurotsuchi would have argued more, but another captain spoke first.

"What kind of spirit would you believe it is then, Captain Kuchiki?"

Kyoraku Shunsui was one of the older spirits in the Court, an apprentice of the High Commander himself, and the holder of the spirit title _Katen Kyōkotsu_.

"It is most likely a wandering spirit," answered Byakuya. "One that has made it's way into the forest and lost itself. A spirit that obviously has no idea that the forest they're residing in is under Sixth Companies protection."

"Very well," boomed the High Commander. "Captain Kuchiki, you and your lieutenant shall investigate the lost spirit and are responsible for bringing it back before the Court, should it prove dangerous you have full authority to erase it from this world."

"Excuse me sir," Captain Aizen said. "But doesn't it seem a bit excessive to send both a captain and lieutenant to find a soul we know nothing about? Sending such a high class party may cause the spirit to become cautious and defensive, putting two of your most valued officers in unnecessary danger."

Renji was genuinely surprised, not many questioned the orders of the High Commander, and even less on the behalf of the safety of two other company men. Yet there was Captain Aizen, speaking up for his and Captain Kuchiki's own personal safety and openingly questioning the Commander's decision.

"Sosuke, I would be careful," warned Captain Kyoraku, "You are literally playing with fire."

The other hall occupants stared between the two commanding officers until the Commander spoke.

"Your words are wise, Aizen Sosuke, but you would be wiser to not challenge my orders again. Who would you send to investigate this wandering spirit?"

"The forest resides just beyond the Kuchiki manor, right? It would be too much to send the Sixth captain for just one spirit, but sending his lieutenant and a lesser officer from the Court to find the spirit would work well."

Captain Aizen glanced to the side for a moment before continuing, "I suggest someone who works well with Lieutenant Abarai and also knows the forest area."

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Rukia could not believe her ears. She swore her captain was messing with her, the tips of her kimono frosting over as her emotions ran wild.

"C-Captain you can't be serious! I… I couldn't, I mean I shouldn't-"

"Calm down Rukia, you will be fine. Your friend Renji will be with you the whole time and it's only a find and search mission."

"But my brother would never have agreed-!"

"The High Commander himself agreed to the terms. Think of this as your chance to prove yourself to Byakuya!"

"But I've only ever been to the outer rim of the forest, never the center of it and how will I know what to look for?"

Captain Ukitake put his hand on her shoulder, a warm ripple flowing into Rukia, "I have complete faith in you, Rukia."

Those words echoed through Rukia, and before she knew it she and Renji were at the edge of the woods. She stood before the tree line, her hands in the cuffs of her sleeves to hide the fidgets, and an effort to avoid turning the grass around her it icicles. Renji and his snake watched her, looks of amusement on their faces.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"N-No! I have been in this forest dozens of times!" she stuttered out.

"Hey if you don't want to go in I can go by myself," the snake around Renji's neck glared at him, "I mean with _Zabimaru_ of course. You can just go home."

"Don't tease me. Captain Ukitake gave me this mission and I fully intend to carry it out. Now tell me where my brother sensed this lost spirit."

"It should be nearer to the center of the forest. Just seach for it yourself, you should be able to sense it from here."

Rukia did not appreciate the slight sarcasm in her friend's voice, but ignored it in favour of stretching out her senses. A skill required to be perfected in the Court, a stronger spirit could easily find and identify the soul of others. For Rukia, being an ice spirit made her greatly attuned to other ice and snow type of spirits, just like Renji was more attuned towards animal spirits. She stretched her senses to the point she could feel the center of the forest, feeling several different types of spirits running wild throughout the woods, in the trees and bushes. At the center was a pool of water, tainted by a great spirit. Rukia didn't recognize the spirit or it's alignment, so it must have been the wandering spirit the Court was searching for.

"It's near the forest's center lake. The wild spirits are weary of it, but some are closely familiar with it."

"Can you tell what kind it is?"

Rukia shook his head, "No, but it's strange. It didn't feel hostile…"

"We'll know more when we find it. Come on," Renji vanished in a flash of red, Rukia following closely as a cold wind. They flashed through the forest, careful to avoid contact with the lesser spirits, towards the center and the target spirit. Rukia had never been this deep into the woods before, only ever combing the rim closest to the manor while on patrol. The leaves grew darker, the air thicker, the shadows deeper, the spirits grew wilder and watched the two Court members as they ran closer to the pool.$

The closer Rukia got to the center of the forest, the more she could sense the spirit. It was strong, unbelievably strong, for a lost spirit. For a moment Rukia thought one of the captains had beat them to the pool, but none of the captains she knew had a spirit like this. Its energy was heavy and dense, as if they had found a wall in the middle of the forest.

"Hold it," said Renji. They stopped just before the pool, Renji glaring towards the center.

"Keep your guard up, we don't know what kind of spirit it is."

Nodding, Rukia stepped through the tree line and into the open space. The first thing she noticed was that several spirits had collected in the space, fire and weather spirits circulating around the pond, some light and shadow spirits even resting on the lost spirit's body. The lost spirit in question, was even more surprising. In truth Rukia hadn't known what to expect, wandering spirits were rare and varied ranging from animal to elemental to human spirits.

This spirit looked like a boy, a young boy in black robes with strange orange hair. He looked like he was asleep near the water, one arm stretched out into the wharf, and the other rested over his chest as he slept. Rukia and Renji approached the boy, unsure of what to make of him, and the spirits that surrounded the boy scurried away as they got closer.

Rukia looked to Renji, who shrugged and notioned to the boy, and she approached closer. Once she was close enough to him she could tell more about him, this spirit was young, perhaps only a few decades old, and was more unconscious than asleep. A large cut on his forehead was lined with dried blood, one of the smaller spirits sitting on it and padding the boy's brow.

Renji watched vigilantly as Rukia bent down on her knees to check the spirit boy's vitals, making sure he was still healthy. Something about the young spirit unsettled him however, this many wild spirits rarely took to newcomers in their territory, so why was this boy so different?

Rukia checked his vitals and set her hand on the boy's forehead, then was thrown back immediately as the young spirit woke with a start.

"GAH!" he cried and bolted up.

Rukia and Renji backed away in caution and watched as the boy held his head and yelled in pain.

"Damn it! That stupid son of a bitch! That hurt! Ow!"

Suddenly he looked around wildly and got to his knees, "Oi! Chad! Uryu! Orihime! Hello!?" He fell down and grumbled, then finally seemed to notice Rukia and Renji, "Hey! You two, have you seen anyone around here lately?"

Too stunned to speak, Rukia only stared at the strange boy while Renji answered, "No, you're the only one."

"Damn it, where the heck did they go? Actually…" he looked around at the forest and lingering spirits, "Where am I? This doesn't look like Karakura woods…"

"Who are you?" Renji asked the boy. "What are you doing in this forest?"

"Hmm? I, uh, don't actually know. One minute I was with my friends and the next I'm waking up here. Why, who wants to know?"

Renji straightened his back, "Lieutenant Abarai Renji of the Sixth Court Guard Company and officer Lady Kuchiki Rukia of Thirteenth Company. You are trespassing in Sixth Company's territory and will hand yourself over quietly so that we may take you before our High Commander. Now tell us who you are and why you are in this forest."

"Uh…" the boy stared at him in confusion, "My name is Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Then you, Kurosaki, are under arrest."

"What!? Why, I haven't done anything!"

"You are trespassing on Sixth Company territory without informing the Court of your invasion and we have direct orders from the High Commander himself to bring you in."

"I'm not going with you people, I don't even know you!"

"I just told you who we are!"

"Well I don't care," the boy, Ichigo, stood up and brush the dirt from his black robes and white collar, "I'm going to go find my friends."

Renji was before the boy in an instant and grabbed his arm, _Zabimaru_ coiling around and up Ichigo's arm until it reached the younger's neck.

"Hey! What the fu-!"

"Like I said, you're under arrest, kid. Rukia, bind his hands."

Shaking off her shock, Rukia nodded and waved her hand, ice forming over Ichigo's hands and binding them together in protest of the boy's "Hey!"

Ichigo glared at the ice and then at Rukia.

"I said I'm not going with you."

Rukia noticed the wild spirits had feld suddenly, and felt a dark pressure surround her. Black energy cracked the ice covering Ichigo's hands, bits of power leaking through the cracks until the ice shattered and his hands were free. The moment the ice broke Rukia felt a stab in her side, an effect from her own power being broken so easily.

Ichigo pushed Renji back and held out his hand " _Zangetsu_!"

More black energy appeared and flew into the boy's hand, taking the shape of a large sword with no sheath or guard, white bandages wrapping the hilt. With one swing of the weapon Rukia and Renji were sent flying until they hit the trees, Rukia feeling the breath being knocked out of her. Her white kimono fell around her as she slumped to the ground, her head spinning as the dark energy grew more and more dense in the air.

Renji yelled, " _Zabimaru_!" before Ichigo could turn and run, the snake around the boy's neck striking like lightning at the exposed skin and sinking its fangs in. Ichigo let out a yelp of pain before grabbing the snake and throwing it back to Renji, his sword arm raised and ready to strike at them. He stopped however, as the poison from the snake bite ran through his veins and his body began to seize up, Ichigo's eyes turning up and white.

They watched the boy collapse and the blade vanish back into black energy, Renji sighing in relief and bringing his spirit animal back to rest around his shoulders. He helped Rukia to her feet, the female ice spirit still shaking from the close encounter.

"Renji have you ever…"

"No," he answered. The lieutenant walked over to Ichigo, making sure the unconscious boy was still breathing, with a hard look on his face. Rukia joined him, standing over the boy and watching him.

"That was dark energy," she stated.

"Yeah."

"But I never sensed a dark spirit, and this boy doesn't look like a dark spirit at all."

"We'll bring him back to the High Commander," Renji hoisted the boy up over his shoulder, _Zabimaru_ coiling around Ichigo and keeping an eye on the spirit. "The captain's can decide what to do with him then. We've done our job."

Rukia was still bothered, but she followed her superior back through the forest and to the First company barracks. There her captain, brother, Captain Aizen, and the High Commander waited for their return to the meeting hall, Renji placing Ichigo on the ground before the Court's high members.

Renji and Rukia bowed before the High Commander.

"Sir," Renji reported, "We located and subdued the mysterious spirit from the forest center. He said his name is Kurosaki Ichigo."

The old captain's eyes rested on Ichigo's sleeping body.

"What was the purpose of this spirit's encroachment?"

"He didn't say, only that he did not know how he ended up in Sixth Company territory, and seemed surprised to find himself there. He was unconscious when we found him, but attacked us when I tried to arrest him and so I was forced to subdue him forcefully."

"Hmm… What kind of spirit is he?"

"... We don't know sir. He attacked before we could get an answer out of him, but he used dark energy and said the word " _Zangetsu_ " before attacking us with a sword made of black energy."

"' _Slaying Moon_ ', hmm? Lieutenant Abarai, are you able to wake the boy at the moment?"

"No sir, _Zabimaru_ 's poison sleep attack lasts for a full hour."

"Very well. The spirit child will be brought to Fourth Company and placed under the care of Captain Unohana. The moment he wakes we will immediately begin the interrogations. You will both await further orders in your own barracks. Dismissed!"

Rukia left with her captain, after bidding Renji and her brother farewell, Captain Aizen bringing the spirit boy to Fourth Company, and followed him back to Thirteenth Company. Her mind was running a thousand miles a minute, thinking curiously about the Kurosaki boy and what kind of spirit he could be.

"Something on your mind, Rukia?"

She jumped at her captain's question, "N-No! I mean! I'm sorry sir, it is just that spirit. When we searched I never sensed a trace of dark energy, but the power he used was just…"

"It's alright. It was your first time with a new spirit, I'm sure you did what you could and now you know for next time. You did well Rukia."

She felt her face heat up at the praisal, and hid her face behind her sleeve in embarrassment. Jushiro smiled.

After nearly a half hour, alarms rang throughout the Seireitei. The Court was thrown into a panic, and the body of Aizen Sosuke was found embedded in the wall of the detention cell.

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 **So! Yeah, that's where I'm ending this chapter! That's right I DID THAT!**

 **Also if anyone has any questions about what each character looks like feel free to message me or leave it in a review, I will answer all of them.**

 **Bye bye~**


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